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NaNoWriMo 2011, Day 5

As time passed, the hurt that Eyela had once seen in Ivy faded away. Time is like that. It heals so many things. But Eyela couldn’t help but think there was more to Ivy’s healing than just time. It was two years now since Ivy and Mystica had moved into the castle. Two years since Stephan was made the captain of the guard. Two years in which everyone in the castle came to feel that there was something special about Mystica, that little child.

It was just past Mystica’s second birthday. She was a very active little girl. And very interested in learning everything. She spoke to everyone she saw in the castle, every day. She always asked questions. Even at the age of two. True, her questions were not complex. They were simple questions, like, “Why is the sky blue?” Or “Why don’t you smile?” Or even, “Why are you sad?”

Eyela loved her as a grand daughter. And she loved Ivy as a daughter. As she had promised, things had changed in the kingdom. The living conditions of the stable hands, and lower ranked workers had improved. As the class boundaries had been breached, the nobles and wealthy had begun to realize that the less fortunate were every bit as alive as them, and in some ways even more so. Everyone began to see how the boundaries they’d erected over time had caused divisions. And those divisions had hurt everyone. Those boundaries had not protected people from those they were afraid of as much as they had hurt those who had hidden behind them.

There had been fairies that had left the kingdom. That could not, or would not, accept the changes Eyela had put in place. Eyela had not denied them the freedom to leave. Neither had she denied them the freedom to return, if they wished to.

Stephan was a good captain of the guard. He kept Eyela informed of the actions of the guards. He also kept her appraised of important events in the castle, and in the kingdom. The guards had come to respect him very much. And they had changed their behavior so that they treated all people of the kingdom the same way, with the same fairness, and the same rules. Everyone in the kingdom seemed to very much approve of that. Eyela certainly did.

It was shortly after Mystica’s second birthday that the first of the two nightmares that would last for years started. Everything in the kingdom was going well. And there was much free travel through the gates of the kingdom. People traded goods of all kinds. Food, clothing, Manufactured goods, like farming tools, hammers, silverware, tables, chairs, shoes. All sorts of trade happened. It was this open nature of the kingdom that lead to the first nightmare.

One day, in the middle of the marketplace, a group of traders that were there to trade their farm products, milk, cheese, eggs, and other things, pulled out swords, and crossbows, and attacked everyone. By the time the guard had the chance to act, the traders had already withdrawn. Almost all of them had managed to slip out through the gates before the gates had been secured. There were over 30 people of Eyela’s kingdom that were hurt that day. Seven of those had died from their injuries. It should have been eight.

Ivy had been shopping in the marketplace that day. Just enjoying walking through the different shops, and all the open stands. Seeing people as they shopped. Watching them barter, each trying to get the best deal they could for themselves. Watching children as they ran here and there.

And then the chaos had started. And Ivy had been struck by the bolt from a crossbow. That bolt had pierced her chest. At first, in the chaos of the swords and crossbows, no one knew who had been hurt, and who had not been hurt. Panic had occurred in the marketplace. With people running in all directions. Everyone seeking someplace safe. No one noticing who had been struck, or injured, and who had not. When the guards had arrived, they had given chase to the perpetrators, and not stopped to assisted the injured. It was the second group of guards that arrived that searched for, and assisted the fallen.

It was this second group that found Ivy.

They had brought Ivy back to the castle as quickly as they could. The castle physicians had done their best to staunch the blood flow of her wound, and to bandage it as best they could. But they knew it was hopeless. They’d seen too many wounds of that type. And they knew Ivy had lost much blood, and was still bleeding internally. There was nothing they could do.

Eyela had, in desperation, used her fairy magic to do what she could. To give Ivy as much time as she could. But even Eyela’s greatest magic was not enough to save Ivy. Ivy was going to die. And Eyela knew that. The entire castle knew that. And word was spreading rapidly throughout the kingdom that Ivy was gravely wounded. And may not see the sun rise on the next day.

It was after everyone had given up hope that the true nature of Mystica’s gift became visible for the first time. Mystica had known something was horribly wrong. And she had seen Eyela outside of the room where Ivy was being cared for. She had also seen Eyela crying. “Why do you cry?” Such a simple question. Such an innocent question. Eyela wished she could give Mystica a happy answer. Wished she could tell her that everything was find. She was just tired, and needed to rest. But, Eyela couldn’t like that way. Especially not to a child. Especially not to Mystica.

“Oh, Mystica. I wish I had something happy to say. But I don’t. What I have to say right now is very, very sad. It is about your mother, Ivy. She’s been hurt, Mystica. She’s been hurt very badly. We’re doing all we can to help her. But it’s not going to be enough. I don’t know that your mother will make it through the night. Oh, my dear child! I wish I could tell you it would all be OK. But I can’t.”

Mystica had not cried. She had not looked confused, or hurt. Instead, she had simply looked up at Eyela, and declared, “Take me to my mommy.”

Eyela couldn’t refuse. Something in the way that Mystica had said those words had struck Eyela as being pure, and true. Eyela also couldn’t help but feel a surge of white magic. As if they very air around Mystica had somehow come to life. So, she opened the door to Ivy’s room. Then took Mystica’s tiny hand. And walked with Mystica, into the room, so that Mystica could see her mother. And perhaps even say good-bye.

But, as Mystica approached the bed where her mother Ivy laid, she didn’t seem sad at all. Instead, she seemed to become happy. When they were right there, next to the bed, Mystica had asked Eyela, “May I sit next to mommy?”

“Of course, dear child. Of course.” And Eyela had lifted Mystica, and set her down on the bed, right next to Ivy’s shoulder. It was then that magic happened.

Mystica had simply placed her tiny hands on her mother’s shoulder. “Mommy. You’re gonna be OK. I know, mommy. I know.” To everyone’s surprise, a soft white light formed around Mystica’s little hands, and then spread throughout Ivy’s body. Shortly, that soft white glow had covered Ivy completely. “You’re OK now, aren’t you, Mommy.” The glow grew more steady. It became a soft, white light that was bathing Ivy from head to toe. As if it was cleaning her. Purifying her.

And Eyela knew the light was white magic. Eyela knew that Mystica was yielding white magic to heal Ivy. To heal her mother. Eyela was indeed amazed to see such magic as she saw that night. All she could really do was watch. All anyone could do was watch. As with each passing heartbeat, the whit light engulfing Ivy grew brighter. More white. More pure. More powerful..

Eyela noticed that Mystica had closed her eyes. And kept them closed. Until the white light en-casing Ivy faded away. It was then that Mystica opened her eyes. “Sleep, Mommy. Sleep.”

As the light en-casing Ivy faded, everyone in the room watch, completely amazed to see that the injuries Ivy had endured that day in the marketplace were simply gone. It was as if Ivy had never been injured.

That night, Mystica had stayed with Eyela, in Eyela’s private rooms. Where Mystica was allowed to have the adventure of sleeping on a thick layer of warm blankets, with a real bed pillow for Mystica to rest her head upon.

It was a day that Eyela would never forget. For it was now beyond doubt that Mystica was in truth a white mage. That Mystica yielded white magic, and a great deal of white magic at that. And as Eyela tried to rest that night, she couldn’t help but remember the words that Merlin had spoken to her in a dream. “She will be a powerful white mage. A healer.”

It was true, for Mystica had healed her mother, Ivy, from wounds she should have died from.